I can’t believe I forgot seeing “The Spy Who Loved Me,” one of my two favorite Bonds at this theater. I must be getting old. Also remembered seeing “The Odessa File” with Jon Voight and “Castle Keep” with Burt Lancaster at this great theater.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the people who list the films that played at this theater. Just reading them brings a great sense of nostalgia to me.
The first time I experienced the Loews State theater, I did not go in it. My family and I were walking down Broadway and Brando in Mutiny on the Bounty was playing there on reserved-seat. I remember looking in and wishing I were going to see it there. The block before we passed Lawrence of Arabia at the Criterion and a few blocks later The Longest Day at the Warner. All three nominated for Best Picture. Boy those were the days.
The first time I went to the Loews State was in 1966, 2 friends and I bought reserved seat tickets to see “The Bible.” 2 of us were scheduled to meet my other friend near the token seller at the Pennsylvaina Avenue station of the number 2 train in Brooklyn. When my habitually tardy friend still hadn’t shown up and we realized that we might be late for the film’s 2PM start, the two of us grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and scribbled him a note. We stuck it on a nail sticking out of the station wall never imagining he would actually see it. With a couple minutes to go before the film began, he came running in to the theater. He actually saw the note. We were amazed. This was more interesting than the film itself.
Over the years I saw many more films there: MacKenna’s Gold in 1969, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and Kellys Heroes in 1970 and The Omega Man in ‘71. In 1972, my mother and father decided to take my brother, sister and myself to Manhattan to see The G-dfather at the Loews State. The line stetched around the block. When we did get in this enormous theater was so crowded that we could not sit together and had to sit in different locations around the theater. (I also saw G-dfather II at the Loews State.)
The last time I was there was in 1979 to see Star Trek-The Motion Picture. It was the second week and I knew the film wasn’t doing all that well because at least half the theater was empty. I thought the film was okay but my wife and our friend did not like it at all.
The Loew’s State may be gone but the memories remain.

The is some form of a sign above the marquee for a movie. But Darryl F. Zanuck would be proud that “Wilson” signs was plastered everywhere. “Kismet” was playing over at the Astor Theatre. The picture would be late Aug. or Sept 1944.

I cut school and saw a British import titled Venom with Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed in 1982 in the upper theater. I was the only one there in what still remained a very large, opulent, and cavernous space!